For those of you not in the know, Emma Pollock was one of the singers for the now-defunct band, The Delgados. While they released quite a few good albums in their time, I think Emma’s solo album, Watch The Fireworks, completely and utterly puts them to shame. This is partly due to my strong preference for her beautiful singing, which I felt was criminally underutilized on many of The Delgados’ albums. She’s not just an incredible singer, though; she writes the most intelligent lyrics you’ll find in modern pop music, and the music itself it outstanding.

If I’d bothered with making a best-of list last year, Watch The Fireworks would almost certainly have topped it. If you’ve yet to hear the album, do yourself a favor and start now with Acid Test.

Downloads

From Watch The Fireworks
Acid Test – (MP3, 2.7 MB)
The Optimist – (MP3, 3.4 MB)
Paper & Glue – (MP3, 2.6 MB)